Dear Mary: If you had $500 for investing, what would you do with the money? Should I buy gold?

— Karen, email

Dear Karen: As I write, $500 would buy about one-third of an ounce of gold; the price changes daily. Practically speaking, gold is not available in such a small amount, which puts it out of your reach at this time. A more practical solution may be to purchase silver. At this time, silver is about $33 per ounce.

At a local coin shop in your city, your $500 would buy about 15 1-ounce silver coins at spot, plus the coin shop owner mark-up for profit.

Silver, like gold, has shown it retains its value. And if you need the money later, you can easily sell silver dollars or rounds to a local coin shop.

Let me explain: If you would have purchased one U.S. silver dollar in 1963, it would have cost you $1. Today, you need $33 to buy that same silver dollar. Silver did not become more valuable; dollar bills lost their value. We have every reason to believe silver will continue to increase in cost, which is just another way of saying the U.S. dollar will continue to slide.

You also can purchase 0.9999 pure silver bullion by the ounce online. I can recommend Great Panther Silver Mine as reputable (www.GreatPanther.com). Or go to USMint.com to learn more.

Dear Mary: I wear a lot of dark clothing. Woolite makes a detergent for dark fabrics, but it’s two to three times the cost of regular detergent. Is there a less expensive detergent to use that won’t fade dark clothing?

— Dee, New Jersey

Dear Dee: Soap and water are the enemy of dark-colored washable fabrics. They leach the color and send it down the drain. You don’t need pricey products to combat this problem. Simply wash your darks in cool water with the minimum amount of detergent, using the shortest wash cycle. Never allow darks to soak.

Another trick is to add 1/2 cup of table salt to the wash cycle the first time you wash new dark-colored items. Salt sets the color, experts say.

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